Qualitative Research for the Scottish Government’s Scottish Connection (Diaspora) Work. Leith, Murray Stewart & Sim, Duncan (2022). University of the West of Scotland. Retrieved on online on November 2023 from https://www.gov.scot/publications/literature-review-scottish-governments-scottish-connections-diaspora-work-2/documents/
This is a report commissioned by the Scottish Government concerning the characteristics of a successful diaspora policy. The diaspora is not a single event, but a term used to describe the migration of people from their homeland. The diaspora literature largely includes discussions of three topics: 1. Describing the group of people who emigrated, 2. The actions and attitudes of the receiving country, and 3. The conditions in and impact on the homeland. Governments are recognizing the significant impact their diasporas have on their country both economically and socially.
The following is what I gleaned from reading this report. People of the Scottish Diaspora include: 1. people born in Scotland, who now live outside of the country, 2. people who are considered the ancestral diaspora with ties to Scotland going back many generations, and 3. people who are uncertain of their ancestral history, but have an “affinity”’ for Scotland. While the size of the Scottish Diaspora population is unclear in the United States, the numbers of people in the 2020 USA census was5.3 million people who claimed Scottish ancestry, while another 3 million claimed Scots-Irish ancestry. For the Scots-Irish this number may be an underestimate. It was not until a few years ago just after the 2020 US Census, that I learned my great grandfather was born in Ireland, not England.
On page 37 of the Report, an individual being interviewed as part of the research project stated:
“ Diaspora to me, pure diaspora, is people who have Scots ancestry, who were born and bred, maybe in the States or wherever, but they have got their Scottish ancestry, and they still very much connect with that. If it’s a Scottish person that’s born in Scotland, but they now work and live somewhere else… that to me is not diaspora. That is an expat. Alumni can be, but alumni could be a graduate from a Scottish University who is Scottish and now works and lives somewhere else. Equally, it can be American, or Chinese… They are not Scottish… But Scotland got under their skin and then they’ve gone home… they can be ambassadors in the exact same way.”
Scotland is in the unique position in that it has millions of ancestral Scots in the USA with strong interest in their Scottish heritage. As a result, there is growing interest in genealogical research in the USA with hopes of making Scottish connections. Also, there is a growing emphasis on facilitating travel to Scotland for people to connect to their ancestral homeland. There is a growing interest in Scottish heritage travel to visit specific sites within their region of origin. Consequently, there is recognition that by engaging persons of the diaspora, there are significant cultural and economic benefits for Scotland.
Side Note: This strong relationship is evidenced by the large attendance at Scottish Highland Games throughout the USA.
Ireland has recognized the vast economic benefit of connecting with persons of the Irish diaspora. The country through changes in citizenship policies, has offered a citizenship to persons with recent Irish ancestry. Ireland has Foundations such as the Ulster Historical Foundation dedicated to helping people connect to their family history. Ireland also has a volunteer group Ireland XO with a bulletin board where people can post family history/ genealogy questions based on a county of interest that is monitored and responded to by persons in that county.
In conclusion, Leslies have spread across oceans and around the globe due to economic, religious, and social reasons. Most of these Leslies are connected to the Scottish Diaspora. Many of these Leslies and members of these related families wish to connect in meaningful ways with their history and heritage. It is the mission of the LGDF to help connect people to their Leslie history and heritage regardless of geographic location.
The Report is available online and an informative read for anyone interest understanding the implications of the Scottish Diaspora.